Flower profile

Coralberry

Ardisia crenata

Coralberry (Ardisia crenata) is a shrub in the Primulaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states.

Introduced in the lower 48

Coralberry is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states.

4states where USDA records it

3Bloomipedia state lists include it

6,687U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana

🚫

Regulated invasive plant in Florida. It's on that state' official invasive plant list (Florida: Noxious weed (sale prohibited)). Please don't plant or share it there. ^{FAC 5B-57.007}

Quick look

Ardisia crenata is a species of flowering plant in the primrose family, Primulaceae, that is native to East Asia. It is known by a variety of names such as Christmas berry, coral ardisia, coral bush, coralberry, coralberry tree, hen's-eyes, and spiceberry. A. crenata is a compact shrub that reaches 1 metre (3.3 ft), often with a single stem. Leaves are dark green, thick, glossy, and have tightly waved edges.
From Wikipedia's article Ardisia crenata, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Primulaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 4 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as not native to Florida, Louisiana and Hawaii. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 4,656 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #46 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 780 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #44 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 629 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #80 among the 118 flowers on our Hawaii list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (30 records)

Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Introduced	few records (16)	4,656
Louisiana	Introduced	few records (3)	780
Hawaii	Introduced	few records (4)	629

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Louisiana.
Hawaii: Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Hawaii. ^{HAR 13-107}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records coralberry in 4 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Citrus, Franklin, Gadsden, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Leon, Manatee, Marion, Orange, Pasco.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: East Baton Rouge, Iberia, Lafayette, Ouachita, Rapides, Terrebonne.

Hawaii counties with USDA records: Hawaii, Honolulu.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Hawaii: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 22 counties across 4 states; the most are in Florida (12), Louisiana (6), Georgia (2).

Other Ardisia on Bloomipedia (1): Shoebutton ardisia.

More from the Primulaceae family (14 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Scarlet pimpernel, Northern starflower, Western starflower, Creeping jenny, Fringed loosestrife, Whorled loosestrife, Henderson's shooting star, Eastern shooting star.

More Florida flowers

White beggarticks

Bidens alba

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: January–March

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: May–July

Largeflower Mexican clover

Richardia grandiflora

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in FL: November–December

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ARCR80.
iNaturalist, Ardisia crenata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Ardisia crenata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
Hawaii: Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
Hawaii: Hawaii noxious weed list (HAR 4-68).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Ardisia crenata (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Alex Abair via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.